Transcript

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>> Gathering in the Muslim holy city of Mecca, thousands of people attending Friday prayers ahead of the annual Hajj pilgrimage. Muslims from more than a 150 countries descend on the Saudi city to reenact the actions of the prophet Muhammad. The ritual is meant to bring worshipers closer to God and is expected to be attended at least once in every Muslim's lifetime.

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But the specter of last year's stampede looms over this year's pilgrimage. At least 750 people were killed in the crush, though some put that number much higher. But that hasn't deterred these faithful pilgrims. Up to 1.5 million people are estimated to be in attendance this year. It's the world's largest annual gathering of people and in the past it's been the scene of a number of deadly stampedes, fires and riots.

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After last year, security is tighter with authorities restricting numbers and installing security cameras at some of the holy sites.